The ultimate convenience food, eggs are powerhouses of nutrition, packed with protein and a…

450ml double cream

300g box After Eights

Method

Break the chocolate into pieces and place in a heatproof bowl. Then assemble a bain-marie – do this by pouring a little water into a saucepan and placing the bowl over the water (making sure the water does not touch the bottom of the bowl). Set the pan over a gentle heat and warm the water until the chocolate has melted. Take off the heat and leave to cool a little.

Meanwhile, place the butter and half the sugar into another large bowl. Using a tabletop mixer or electric hand whisk, beat until the mixture is really light and creamy, then beat in the cocoa powder.

Separate the eggs (the whites can be frozen for another time) and put the yolks in a third bowl. Tip in the remaining sugar, then beat together until pale and creamy. To check if it’s ready, make a figure-of-eight shape in the mixture with the beater – it should hold its shape for a moment. In a fourth bowl, whip the cream until thickened with soft peaks.

Pour the melted chocolate into the butter mixture, and carefully stir through until it is well combined. Gently fold in the egg mixture. When this is amalgamated, stir in the whipped cream. Now line a 6.5 x 22cm tin with 3 layers of cling film, leaving a 10cm overhang.

Spoon the mixture into a large piping bag with a large nozzle attached (see Gordon’s steps, far right). Pipe a layer over the bottom of the tin, then cover this with a layer of After Eights (cut some in half to ensure they fit). Pipe over another layer of chocolate cream, followed by a layer of After Eights. Continue until you have 4 layers of chocolate mints and the tin is full, finishing with a chocolate cream layer. Fold over the cling film, then chill overnight or up to 2 days.

Just before serving, place the marquise in the freezer for 10 mins to make it easier to slice. Place the tin, bottomside up, on a serving plate, slide off the tin, then peel away the cling film. If you have a blowtorch, quickly run the flame over the surface of the marquise to give it a glossy sheen. Alternatively, dip a palette knife in boiling water and smooth the surface that way. Use a serrated knife dipped in boiling water to cut the marquise into slices.

Recipe Tip

No piping bag?

If you don’t have a piping bag, snip off a small corner of a plastic food bag. Spoon the filling into this and use it to pipe, instead. Or, you can spoon the chocolate mixture over the After Eights, making sure to smooth over any air pockets.

Recipe Tip

Buy the tin

You can buy 6.5 x 22cm tins from specialist
baking shops, or online at divertimenti.co.uk. You
could also use a regular loaf tin – but as this is
a bit wider, only make three layers of After Eights.

Recipe Tip

Freeze for a month

The marquise will keep in the freezer for up to
one month – just defrost in the fridge for an hour
before serving. Try freezing slices individually
– this will make plating up much quicker.

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Comments, questions and tips

Easy fix : use a muffin tray and make individual ones. Line it with three layers of cling film still, pipe one layer in and either use after eights still or mix it up to create a layer - I've used posh white chocolate buttons - then one final piped layer. Gently tap the tray to remove bubbles and refrigerate. No need to freeze or cut. Just leave it at room temperature for 10 minutes to get soft again and enjoy.
Any left you can freeze for up to two months. Like you'll have any left.
Serve with a dollop of whipped cream and home made vanilla ice cream for a visually stunning dessert.

vicki40

21st Oct, 2014

Absolutely delicious but you need more After Eights than is quoted. Also, impossible to cut so couldn't present it at a Dinner Party as it fell apart - I even used extremely hot knife as suggested.

Found this recipe relatively easy to make, cooled the chocolate as recommended by other comments but I didn't have enough After Eights for 4 layers, so only had 3!

trudy747

2nd May, 2013

I made this in an ordinary loaf tin so only had 3 layers of after eights. Between the after eights in the middle layer I placed a line of fresh raspberries and served it with a raspberry couli. I cut it into individual slices before freezing using a hot knife but I cut from the side rather than from above the cake which I think is the secret to achieving a clean finish. My guests loved it. It's a very adult dessert, fairly expensive to make and one wasted on the children!!

jmc123

22nd Feb, 2013

3.05

Fiddly, uses lots of bowls, and really not as impressive of lots of other chocolate puds. wouldn't bother with this one.

sabrina74

29th Dec, 2012

4.05

this was a big hit over christmas served with fresh rapberries and blueberries and expensive vanilla ice cream, both ladies asked for the receipe! found it a bit messy cutting, so i sliced and froze individual slices as suggested well worth the extra effort

navidad191209

26th Dec, 2012

5.05

Very good, but very rich. I gave my guests half a slice and it was enough. Chocolate lovers make this!

nagina

18th Oct, 2012

its to delisious i love it......................

Pages

I didn't have caster sugar so I used golden caster sugar. The mixture tasted fine and looked exactly as pictured. I haven't taken it out and it's been in the fridge for maybe 30 minuets. I also didn't have cling film and used baking paper instead. Is there anything that could go wrong? Should I still serve it? I've made it as a tester for an actual dinner party in December so I'm not too fussed if it doesn't turn out.

goodfoodteam

7th Nov, 2014

Hi there thanks for your question, the sugar will not have made much difference; the only worry is that it may be difficult to remove from the tin, otherwise it should be fine.

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